WET ‘N’ WILD
Kayaking, fishing in $15m adventure park on floodplain
A GIANT $15 million park will be built in Robina this year across 17ha of flooplain land beside CBUS Super Stadium. The park will include kayak launches, fishing spots, walking trails and two adventure playgrounds.
A GIANT ‘Gold Coast Central Park’ to rival those in the nation’s capitals will begin construction this year as part of a $15 million revamp of a long-unused site.
The Robina Parklands will be built next to CBUS Super Stadium across 17ha of floodplain land that was once known as the city’s “green heart”.
Council budget papers reveal city hall put $1.5 million towards design and construction works, which will begin later this year, with a further $200,000 to be spent developing “a master plan for the Gold Coast Central Park in the heart of the city”.
Acting Mayor Donna Gates said the new park would have features which would appeal to people from all walks of life.
“We are not only preserving green space, we are unlocking it through walking trails, viewing platforms and interpretative signage so the city’s 13 million visitors and 580,000 locals can get out there and experience nature,” she said.
“We are a city in love with our green space and the City Plan ensures at least 51 per cent of our city’s footprint is forever preserved as open space, for all to enjoy.
“We already have 2300 parks and around 13,000 hectares of green space and this development will add a unique experience to the mix.”
According to council plans the parklands would feature:
● Kayak launches into Mudgeeraba Creek.
● Multiple fishing areas around the edges of the parkland.
● A picnic lawn and two adventure playgrounds.
● A village green and performance stage where concerts could be held with a capacity for 5000 people.
● Recreation walking trails, with rest areas.
● A multi-use structure with a cafe and community facilities.
Construction works will begin within a year, with council already having spent $1 million on planning and early works.
And there could be more stages to come of what Council lifestyle boss and area councillor Hermann Vorster said would become the central Gold Coast’s “crown jewels”.
“Residents in the centre of the Gold Coast have been envious of the multi-hundred million dollars of investment on the Glitter Strip and they say they want similar standards of amenity closer to their own homes,” he said.
“This will be the crown jewels of the suburban Gold Coast and will be a place that locals can choose to go if they’re not going to the beach.
“This will bring quality space to ratepayers and will mean that no matter where you live you will have access to great facilities where kids can play and you can enjoy the fresh air.”
Cr Vorster said he expected the project to take traffic off the M1 and other roads by providing a venue for people to spend their leisure time at without having to drive significant distances.
It is understood the council also hopes to negotiate with the State Government to obtain fill from the $500 million M1 upgrade for use in the creation of the parklands.
The fill would be used to raise the level of the site in order to prevent future flooding.
The parklands will be surrounded by major new residential developments, including the under construction $170 million Vue development, as well as the $1.5 billion Breakwater mini-city.
News of the Robina project comes just days after Mayor Tom Tate announced his own vision for The Spit as the Gold Coast’s answer to New York City’s Central Park.